"French Connection" cocaine network dismantled in Tournon-sur-Rhône, twelve arrests
Gendarmes in Tournon-sur-Rhône dismantled a cocaine trafficking network on 2 June, arresting twelve people in Ardèche and Drôme. The investigation had begun following an anonymous letter received in January.
Operation "French Connection": cocaine network neutralised in Ardèche and Drôme
Around one hundred gendarmes simultaneously deployed across several communes in Ardèche and Drôme on Monday 2 June, resulting in the dismantling of a drugs trafficking network nicknamed "French Connection" operating around Tournon-sur-Rhône, according to ici.fr.
Twelve people were arrested during this coordinated operation, carried out in Tournon-sur-Rhône, Tain-l'Hermitage, La Roche-de-Glun and Mauves. Four of them were committed for trial and remanded in custody on Thursday 5 June.
From an anonymous letter to a large-scale network
The investigation originated in an anonymous letter that reached the authorities in January. This tip-off denounced an active dealing point at place des Graviers, in Tournon-sur-Rhône. The gendarmes then launched surveillance operations, which led to an initial series of arrests as early as February — three people were apprehended at that time.
Investigations continued and allowed investigators to uncover a criminal structure of larger scale. The trafficking concerned principally cocaine, distributed within a radius of ten kilometres around Tournon.
Significant seizures in the raid
In addition to the twelve arrests, investigators seized 14 vehicles, a quad bike, luxury clothing, audiovisual equipment and a firearm. A machine for manufacturing registration plates was also discovered, as was €17,000 in cash. Three canine teams participated in the operation.
The Public Prosecutor of Privas stated that "the dealing point is eliminated", specifying that "this operation forms part of a targeted strategy to combat local drugs trafficking".
Source: Google News LU — Crime (fr)